School's Out

Although Public schools are out for the summer - I am feeling the heat of an entire summer of programming at YPC. I don't think I could stand being indoors any more than necessary.

But today I found an interesting blog posting about celebrity classmates. We are also looking for famous alumni here at YPC. So thought it would be fun to feature some of these odd pairings.

Barbara Streisand & Neil Diamond - for the old schoolers. You Don't Bring Me Flowers.... became a hit 20 years after they finished at Brooklyn High School

John Krasinski & BJ Novak - both from the Office fame went to Newton HS in Massachusetts did both theater there and played on the same little league team.

Josh Hartnett & Rachel Leigh Cook - went to South High school here in Minneapolis even though a few years apart in age. Ironic that they later made a film together as love interests in Blow Dry.

Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer & Mare Winningham - what an odd combo is this from Chatsworth HS in CA. Even odder is a production of Sound of Music they were all in - would love to see that VHS tape.

Cameron Diaz & Snoop Dogg - went to Long Beach HS and she admits to buying weed off him at some point in her high school years. Surprising - right?

Jennifer Aniston & Chaz Bono - were apparently best friends at NYC's HS of the Performing Arts. Who would ever have guessed the paths they eventually landed on.

Showboat

As part of my ongoing resolutions - I am reading the original novel of Show Boat by Edna Ferber. Granted, it is a slow process for me. I got it last year at a garage sale, started it in March and am now only halfway through it. But it is mesmerizing in so many ways. First to think that the publishing date was 1926. We look at it as nostalgia, but back then it was barely of a time past. The depiction of the classes, race and the perception of theater people is boggling.

The Ava Gardner film was one of the first classics I gravitated to. As the Show Boat pulls away with Miss Julie in tears on the banks. It was melodrama, history and musical theater all at the same time. The score is epic. The writing of the novel colorful and demanding. I am amazed how much films vary from page to stage nowadays. But other than a few character twists, the story is exactly the same. I can see Agnes Morehead and Kathryn Grayson in every turn of the page.


I just read the onset of Chapter VI and it is timeless;


"It was the theater, perhaps, as theater was meant to be. A place in which one saw one's dreams come true. A place in which once could live a vicarious life of splendour and achievement; winning in love, foiling the evildoer; a place in which one could weep unashamed, laugh aloud, give way to emotions pent-up. When the show was over and they had clambered up on the steep bank, and the music of the band had ceased, and there was only a dying glow of the kerosene flares, you saw them stumble a little and blink, dazedly, like one rudely awakened to reality from a lovely dream."

Mr Jackson if you Please

I have always been a huge fan of Cheyenne Jackson. For one - it does not seem fair that someone should have both his jaw line in addition to his physique. We have seen plenty of him in jean shorts and in the buff during his Broadway runs. The guy also has a killer voice that amazes at every turn. Think George Michael with a bit of Michael Buble panache. Now comes this haunting new video from his forth coming album.

He sounds great of course. But the story board and portrayal he brings to it are breathtaking. Maybe it is just me - but the way my pride stands as an obstacle to me. The inevitability of our own mortality. And what happens in those moments of reflection when we look back at it all. Deep stuff. But what amazes me even more on a second viewing - under it all is just Cheyenne at a piano with a mic. True talent and beyond. Check it out.

Church & State

First we had Peaches & Herb, Donnie & Marie - now we have Church & State. Another hysterical offering from the always fabulous Funny or Die. Presented under the fictional identity of Americans United. Jane Lynch - who is getting so much press for everything from Tonys to divorces - is the female of the duo, State. Jordan Peele from MadTV & his own Comedy Central Key & Peele in his glorious afro takes on Church. Together they make a retro soul couple in spoof of the pitfalls of our national government. It's all here; turtle doves, the hammer of justice and communion wafers. Sort of like School House Rock for the adults.

Jane Lynch and Jordan Peele: Epic Church-State Breakup from Jordan Peele

Rhubarb Rhubarb

Tis the season. Despite all the rain and slow start to the season, I ventured out to the Farmer's Market a weekend back. I was claustrophobic to the crowd. It seems we are all clawing to get out into the open air and get down to business.

The one thing that kept pulling me back in was the yearly crop of rhubarb. Like asparagus, it is one of the first truly local crops to ripen in these early summer weeks. So I grabbed a bunch for a delectable Strawberry/ Rhubarb pie. My infamous crust, a bit of cloves and cardamom made an almost perfect pie. It could have used a bit more starch to thicken it but.....

On eating it last night, Jeff and I were trying to figure if it was a fruit or vegetable defined by its growing conditions. I was partly right by thinking it an herb. It is defined by Wikipedia as an "herbaceous perennial." It grows as a tuber with stalks and large leaves. But instead of eating the roots like carrot or radish, we eat the stems. Think celery. It also has a colored history of being classified as both a vegetable and a fruit. It technically became a fruit in 1947 with advances in sugar to make it more palatable in general cooking. This has something to do with tariffs which are supposedly more expensive for vegetables than fruit and thus encouraged the market for the plant.

Other fun facts: Crops in the UK are harvested in hothouse sheds by candelight to produce a sweeter and more tender stalk. The old adage is true that the leaves contain some toxic and poisonous chemicals, but they are in such low amounts that a human would have to consume vast amounts to actually be affected. And in case you didn't know, it has laxative effects which can be helpful in constipation. Just saying.

Minneapolis has Parks

A new stat to boast about. According to the Trust for Public Land (whatever that is??) we are the top ranked metropolitan area. Actually the Trust is a non-profit organization to create and improve public green space. We topped out with a score of 81 compared to NYC in #2 and San Francisco in #3. It looks at acreage, services and access. Although we were lacking a bit in acreage, even despite our fabulous lakes and bike trails, we rocked it in the access caption. It seems like there is a park within a 10 minute walk of every resident in the city. The Chain of Lakes got the highest shout-outs. And the biggest is the 612 acres of the Mississippi River Banks. Believe it or not these parks make up 15% of our land space. How great is that - get out and use it.

You Can Dance - if you want to....

What is not to love about dancing? When it is carefree and full of enthusiasm. And who doesn't love a great musical? So I share this clip for all. A giant montage of everything dance on the big screen. Yes there are classics like Singing In the Rain and Staying Alive. Clips from Footloose - both the old and new. But then little nuggets like Ferris Bueller, Pulp Fiction, Bring It On & Napoleon Dynamite. They come at you so fast it is hard to register them. So if anyone wants to starts a comment list it is fully appreciated.